The "Ping" In the Ring

St. Louis, who had been initially taught how to box by Colonel and Kenny, works the double end bag in the photo above.  There was the threat of rain -- and it is raining now -- but earlier in the evening, the weather was breezy and balmy.  For the first time this year, I wore shorts to the gym and no jacket or coat.

When Alan opened the gym, the only other person there outside of me was Mannan (Mohammad).  Alan remarked that he thought because of the nice weather, gym attendance would start slacking off.  Other than Mannan, St. Louis, and myself, there was Sarah, Amy, Gabriel, Walter, Colonel, and Lania.

The guys did not spar.  Sebastian was out due to some surgery he had.  Colonel's doctor told him to wait 30 days before attempting to spar again.  Walter was still recovering from a health issue.  Besides, now that the weather is warm, Walter will soon switch his workout to in-line skating until the fall.  Mannan's still working his way up to getting back to sparring again.  I guess Gabriel and St. Louis didn't feel like sparring.  So all the women, except for Lania, took turns in the ring.

The sisters went first, sparring a couple of rounds.

Then Sarah and I were in the ring.  I was dealing with my allergies acting up, plus I was moving slow.

This photo shows how long Sarah's reach is.  You see how her jab has connected with my head?  Now look at how short my return jab is.  I didn't have nothing on it.

The surprise of the night was when Amy and I sparred.  Amy usually does not spar with anyone other than Sarah.  Amy hits rather hard.  Just like with her sister, I had a hard time trying to get past a long arm reach.  Jabbing my way in on both sisters helped me get in some body shots.

Amy and I did one round.  I was chasing her around the ring, but she avoided most of my punches.

 Then Sarah and I did another round.  I tried left hooks, but I never time them correctly.  I was reading elsewhere on the Internet about what separates beginning boxers from advanced boxers.  One of the things mentioned was if a boxer had the ability to throw left hooks.  I guess I'm still at the beginning stages.

Right the beginning of the second round I did with Sarah, the familiar "ping!" started in my left knee.  I just pushed through it, but I moved more slowly than before.  Sarah clipped me in my right eye, and she got some good jabs in.  Alan noticed me limping afterwards, and he shook his head.  "Sarah really got you," he commented.

I'd like to recommend a book I've been reading called The Boxing Dictionary: "The language of the ring" by Jonn E. JaGazza.  It includes the meanings of words and phrases heard most in the boxing world.  I finally found out what "walking a man down" means.  It just means when one boxer pursues their opponent and eventually wears them out, both mentally and physically, with body and head shots.  Very entertaining reading, and a great reference for anyone who is interested in and/or participates in the sport.